"Balancing your books"

Early in Charles Dickens' holiday classic, A Christmas Carol, Ebeneezer Scrooge gives a scathing denunciation of the impending holiday including a proclamation that Christmas is little more than "a time for balancing your books and having every item in 'em through a dozen of months presented dead against you."  Scrooge (before the ghosts) is, of course, hardly a good role model for almost anything unless it's being a great, bad example.  But there is, however, something in the idea that Christmas coming so close to the end of the calendar year is a time for looking back for at least some degree of self-evaluation.  Or so it is again with this blog, begun, it is more than a little hard to believe, almost eight years ago in February of 2012.  A year ago at this time, my state of mind was somewhere between satisfaction, not to mention relief, that Charles Ebbets: The Man Behind the Dodgers and Brooklyn's Beloved Ballpark had been published in late November and the stress of trying to finish another project, a history of early New Jersey base ball.

Scrooge's complaints about Christmas in the original manuscript

That book - A Cradle of the National Pastime: New Jersey Baseball 1855 to 1880, was finished in early April, but the stress didn't end there as the next two months were spent finishing my role as a guest curator at Morven Museum and Garden on an exhibit which took the story from 1855 through 1915.  In the end, I was very pleased with both the book and the exhibit and the latter must have had some appeal as over 9000 people visited the museum during the exhibit's six month life.   From my perspective anyway it feels like 2019 saw some real progress in telling and preserving the story of the important part New Jersey played in early baseball.  The year also saw some very welcome and appreciated recognition for the Ebbets book in the form of the Ron Gabriel award for the best research on the Brooklyn Dodgers.  It's especially gratifying to receive this award for the second time after being honored along with Paul Zinn for Ebbets Field: Essays and Memories of Brooklyn's Historic Ballpark back in 2014.  And just to be sure I didn't have too much time on my hands there were also a number of lectures at different locations ranging from New York City to as far south as Cape May (hard to be any further south in New Jersey than that).

Morven Museum and Garden

On top of all this has been this blog and, if I'm being honest which is a good idea at this time of year, I'll admit it's been difficult to keep all those writing balls in the air at the same time.  I started the blog as way to write about early New Jersey base ball because how to do it effectively in book form wasn't clear to me.  Gradually the blog's focus broadened into other areas of baseball history especially the Deadball Era and the Brooklyn Dodgers.  It was never my intent however to use the blog to write about vintage base ball in general and the Flemington Neshanock in particular, it just evolved, but I'm glad it did.  Over the past ten years, I've watched (and since I don't play, I do watch) well over 300 vintage games which has given me a broader perspective on nineteenth century base ball and the opportunity to go back and forth between watching and researching.  As far as I can tell the bulk of the reading audience for the blog  is the vintage base ball community which means, I hope, that the approach is at least of some interest.

Historical Society of Princeton

Understandably, the future is much harder to predict.  Eight years is a long time to do almost anything and there are times when I think it's time to wind up A Manly Pastime.  I'm committed, however, to continuing to write about the Neshanock, our matches, opponents and the world of vintage base ball so at the very least that will continue.  There also times when I think I've said all I have to say about early New Jersey base ball, but I continue to find stories that are both interesting and deserve to be told which can also be said about the Brooklyn Dodgers and Charles Ebbets.  I do feel at this point that I've written enough books (five) and while that's not a final decision, it feels pretty close.  From opening research to publication is at least a two-three year process and at 73, it doesn't feel like a good investment of time.   Probably the best approach, however, is just to let things evolve which seems to have worked pretty well for baseball.  It's not clear when the first 2020 post will appear, but in the meantime, thanks to all those who have taken the time to read this blog - you have no idea how much it means when someone comments on a post.  "And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!"

Schedule Making - Now and Then

The vintage base ball community spends a great deal of time trying to understand how the game was played on the field in the nineteenth century so that we can do the best job possible of recreating it today.  Understandably, little, if any, attention, is paid to how things worked off the field especially during the off-season when very little happened.  Things were so quiet base ball wise in December of 1860 that the Warren Club of Roxbury, Massachusetts re-organized itself into a literary and debating society for the winter.  It's an experience few vintage clubs including the Neshanock are likely to recreate.  The nature of off season base ball in the 19th century came to mind because among the additional responsibilities I've taken on with the Neshanock is at least one off-season job - putting together the 2020 schedule.   It's a process that I thought wouldn't start until late 2019 or even early 2020, but it actually began back in September and to my surprise, Flemington's schedule is very close to being finished.

1860 challenge from the Hamilton Club of Jersey City to the KBBC of New York, it does not appear the match was ever played

Not only did the process begin earlier than I would have thought, the schedule has also come together with very little difficulty.  A large part of that is due to the number of vintage clubs in New Jersey which facilitates scheduling matches within the state.  Thanks again, then to the Elizabeth Resolutes, the Hoboken Nine, Monmouth Furnance and the New Brunswick Liberty, all of whom Flemington will play at least once.  Included in the schedule are visits to historic New Jersey sites such as Allaire State Park, Ringwood Manor, Howell Living History Farm and New Bridge Landing, just to name a few.  The Neshanock will also make two overnight road trips beginning with our participation in the Nineteenth Century Base Ball Festival at Gettysburg so ably sponsored by the Elkton Eclipse.  In addition, we are also glad to return to the National Silver Ball Tournament at Genesee Country Village near Rochester, New York for the first time since 2016.  With still a few dates to be pinned down, it looks like Flemington will have matches three out of every four weekends from April through early October which feels like the right balance of open dates and playing on a regular basis.  The full schedule will be available at the team web site (www.neshanock.org) by early January.

2013 National Silver Ball Tournament at Genesee Country Village - photo by Mark Granieri

As is often the case, working on the 2020 schedule led me think about how it was done back in the nineteenth century which in this case bore no resemblance to today.  While I haven't done any in depth research, I'm fairly confident that little schedule making was done during the off-season and that it was a much more cumbersome process.  Instead of exchanging emails, nineteenth century clubs waited until the spring and then used challenges sent or received through the mail.  The details of the process, or lack thereof, for one New Jersey club survive in the minute book of the Hamilton Club of Jersey City.  While the by-laws of the Hamilton Club go into great detail about many aspects of club life, they are silent on match games.  As a result, the full membership made all of the decisions to make or accept challenges.  Unfortunately, the Hamiltons were a contentious lot who sometimes couldn't agree on a motion to adjourn.  In May of 1859, for example, a tie vote on challenging the Brooklyn Club had to be broken by the president's vote.  A few weeks later, the club voted to challenge their counterparts, the Hamilton Club of Brooklyn, but then just two days after that had second thoughts and tried to withdraw the challenge.  It's no wonder the Hamilton Club didn't play very many matches.

Photo by Mark Granieri

As base ball became more competitive in the post Civil War years, schedule making became more organized, but there were still more than a few difficulties including not just the date of a match, but sometimes the venue.  In 1870, the Amateur Club of Newark and the Elizabeth Resolutes were competing for the unofficial New Jersey state championship.  Each team had won a game so the third and deciding match had to be played at a neutral site which led to no end of debate.  The Amateurs first proposed the grounds of the Champion Club of Jersey City, but the Resolutes refused and offered the Irvington Club’s field as an alternative.  Wisely, the Amateurs rejected the proposal because the familiarity of some of the Resolute players with the unusual layout of the Irvington field made it far from a neutral site.  After that ploy failed, the Resolutes next proposed the cricket ground in Hudson City (now part of Jersey City).  

New York Times - November 10, 1870

Instead of responding in writing, the Amateur Club sent a committee to Elizabeth to inform the Resolutes the site was acceptable and the game should be played the very next day.  Whether it was because of the short time frame or some other reason, the Resolutes told the committee they had changed their minds and were no longer willing to play in Hudson City.  After further discussion, the committee and the Resolutes agreed to play the game at Elizabeth, but the Amateur Club’s board rejected the agreement, claiming the committee had exceeded its authority.  Instead, the Amateurs offered to have the game at the Waverly Fairgrounds located between the two cities, but once again the Resolutes refused.  Perhaps realizing they were out of alternatives, the two clubs finally agreed to play at Waverly where the Resolutes won a decisive 28-17 victory.  Not long before the game was played, the New Jersey State Base Ball Association considered establishing rules for a more official championship, but decided against it, doubtless to some extent because of the Amateur-Resolutes debate.   Fortunately, schedule making is far easier today!

"Here's to Charlie!"

Ninety years ago this very evening "as the shadows began to cover the bleak facades of old mansions on Brooklyn Heights," a group of men, mostly of mature years, began wending their way to the Brooklyn Club at 131 Remsen Street.  Once inside, they headed downstairs to a room, lovingly referred to as the "Coal Hole," a name borrowed or appropriated from a famous London pub.  They gathered to celebrate a birthday, but it was an unusual kind of birthday party.  Instead of the more traditional approach of friends throwing a party for someone, in this case all of the expenses had already been taken care of by the honoree.  And not just for this one time, but for as long as any of them should live.  Even more unusual, however, was the absence of the honoree himself, one Charles Ebbets, unavailable because of his death over four years ago.  Ebbets was not, however, about to let the small matter like his death get in the way of his friends enjoying an evening of food and fellowship on his birthday.

Standard Union - October 29, 1931

Founded in 1865, the Brooklyn Club, made up of the Borough's "wealthiest and most influential men," was for many years one of the Dodgers owner's favorite gathering places.  Supposedly his cronies began to "saunter in" to the club around 3:00 and make idle conversation until Ebbets arrived from the ballpark that bore his name.  Then "the conversation would take a serious turn" to the Dodgers and Ebbets would discuss the day's game, the team and the problems and challenges that faced him as club owner.  As the years went by "through a blue-gray haze of tobacco they looked [back into the past] at the team they used to know and watch . . . and somewhere in the outfield of memory, Wheat and Myers and Stengel [still] patrolled their grassy posts."  So close was the group that eventually it became the custom for them to gather on October 29th for a dinner to celebrate the Brooklyn owner's birthday.

Brooklyn Club building today

It's probably no surprise that there is more than one explanation of why the dinners continued after Ebbets death on April 18, 1925, but it is somewhat unusual that the same person gave two different explanations a year apart.  Judge Joseph Aspinall, one of Ebbets longtime friends, was one of three trustees in charge of the annual event.  In 1934, the Judge told the New York Herald Tribune that at one birthday dinner, Ebbets served cheap liquor, leading to queries of why he was "such a tightwad."  Ebbets not only denied the charge, but promised he would continue to pay for the dinner even after his death.  A year later, however, Aspinall told the Brooklyn Daily Times that about 1920 Ebbets told the group "he would like us to dine on his natal day after he died."  Regardless of the explanation, Ebbets didn't forget his promise, leaving $5,000 in a trust with the income at 5 1/2% to pay for the annual dinners as long as any member of the group was still alive.  Ebbets' estate was more than a little complicated with his 50% interest in the Dodgers divided into 15 parts for the benefit of about 25 heirs so remembering that promise was clearly important to him.  The story of the estate is reminiscent of the court case in Bleak House, but in 1927, Ebbets widow asked that the $5,000 be released and for many years it was the only part of the estate to be finalized.

Brooklyn Times Union - October 30, 1934

It apparently took a while to get the first dinner organized, but on October 29, 1929, 25 members of the original group gathered around a "candlelit" table for the initial event.  Ebbets left the details of the affair to Aspinall and the other two trustees of the fund.  Typically a vacant chair was left for the Brooklyn owner and before the first course there was "a silent toast to the departed" while the glass at Ebbets' place remained untouched.  Formal speeches were not on the agenda, but anyone could speak which as a rule "consisted primarily of fond reminiscences" in an atmosphere that was "gay with laughter."  No menus seem to survived, but in 1936, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that "the best was none too good" from "diamond back terrapin to champagne."  The dinners were to continue until the  last member died with the funds then to go to the Brooklyn club.  It's not clear when the final dinner took place, the last media account was in 1942 when a dozen remained.  Perhaps the final dinner got lost in concern about World War II.

Coal Hole - London 

One feature of every dinner was a toast to Ebbets where members "spoke well of his loyalty and generosity."  The Dodgers owner was far from perfect, but while his "generosity" or cheapness has been debated ever since, there is no questioning his loyalty.  Certainly to his friends, but also to his ball club and above all to Brooklyn his adopted hometown.  The team, the ballpark that bore his name, the dinner and the Brooklyn Club itself are no more, but almost a century later, it's still appropriate on this day, the 160th anniversary of his birth to say, along with all those shades from the past - "Here's to Charlie!"

Sunset

Back in June, the Flemington Neshanock and their good friends, the Diamond State Club of Delaware, had the opportunity to play two games of base ball on a pristine spring afternoon in Princeton, New Jersey.  It was a reminder of how much fun base ball can be.  Today the two teams met again, this time in Paper Mill Park in Newark, Delaware to close out the 2019 vintage base ball season.  The final game of any season always prompts a range of emotions - a sense of completion that another long season (April to October) is in the books as well as a feeling of loss because it will be more than five months before we get to do this again.  Today offered a venue, weather and opponents truly worthy of the occasion. Having lost the toss, the Neshanock went to the striker's line first.  With two out, Tom "Thumbs" Hoepfner and Rene "Mango" Marrero singled, but Flemington failed to score an indication that tallies were going to be at the premium.  Such was indeed the case and the game entered the bottom of the fourth 0-0 when Diamond State got their offense going.

Diamond State wrapped two singles around a Matt "Black Bart" Bartnicki triple for two runs, but Flemington had a chance to get out of the inning with no further damage with runners on second and third and two out.  At that point, however, Greg "Memphis" Boulden, the Diamond State pitcher, took matters into his own hands (or bat) delivering a well placed single to put the home team ahead 4-0.  Flemington finally scored in the top of the sixth when Dan "Sledge" Hammer tripled and went home on an overthrow.  Flemington continued to keep the game competitive, shutting out Diamond State for the next three innings and adding a run in the top of the eighth when "Sledge" singled in Chris "Low Ball" Lowry who had worked out a walk.  Unfortunately, for Flemington however, in Diamond State's half of the eighth, seven hits along with two Neshanock muffs led to seven runs and an 11-2 victory for the Delaware team.  The Neshanock were limited to eight hits by the pitching of "Memphis" and the defense behind him. Leading the way for Flemington was "Thumbs" with three, while "Sledge" and "Mango" had two apiece. 

After a brief break, the two teams returned to the field for a seven inning contest, this time with Flemington striking second.  Diamond State tallied once in their first at bat, but the Neshanock quickly answered that and then erupted for five tallies in the second.  Flemington had a 9-4 lead heading to the bottom of the sixth when the New Jersey team replicated Diamond State's last at bat in the first game, putting the game out of reach.  After Chris "Sideshow" Nunn parleyed a single and some aggressive base running into a tally, "Sledge" hit a home run, leaving him only a single short of hitting for the cycle.  When the inning was over, Flemington had tallied five times and closed out the game for a 14-5 season ending win.  Four Neshanock, the aforementioned "Sideshow," Joe "Mick" Murray, Scott "Snuffy" Hengst and Ken "Tumbles" Mandel contributed two hits apiece.  Especially noteworthy was the hitting of the newest Neshanock, Dan Mahony, who closed out his muffin season with a four hit day and his first clear score.  Welcome to the club Mr Mahony - next step is an appropriate nickname.  Also important was the steady defensive play of "Jersey" Jim Nunn who handled some challenging bound hits in the outfield and his son "Sideshow" who handled one particular tricky hop like it was a three cornered pool shot.

By dividing the two games, the Neshanock finished the year with an overall 16-6 mark. Season's end means its time to say thank you and I want to start with those outside the Neshanock family that make all of this possible beginning with our opponents.  One thing we can never take for granted is the need for other teams like Diamond State willing and able to put in the time and travel necessary to play a full schedule.  By my count, Flemington played nine different vintage teams over the course of the season and five "town" teams, local squads put together for just one game.  We couldn't do it without you and thank you for your participation.  While all opponents are important, we especially value our New Jersey partners - the Elizabeth Resolutes (the state's senior club), the Hoboken Nine, Monmouth Furnace and the New Brunswick Liberty.  Also essential and sometimes taken for granted are the umpires.  The Neshanock are more mindful of their importance of umpires since we have lost Sam Bernstein who worked so many Neshanock games for so many years.  So thanks to the umpires especially John Medkeff who worked today's games so ably.

Within the Neshanock community, the first thank you goes to our founder Brad "Brooklyn" Shaw who got all this started and kept it going for so many years.  We missed you this season and hope you'll join us next year, even if it is just to visit.   While he wasn't there today, much appreciation to Mark "Gaslight" Granieri both for serving as official blog photographer and sometimes writer. Thanks also to the parents, spouses, girl friends, fiancees, significant others and increasingly children who attend games in all kinds of weather and most importantly let us be part of a game we haven't yet, and never will, get enough off.  Finally, thanks are due to the Neshanock players for many reasons, but above all for just showing up on a regular basis.  One thing I've learned this year is that just fielding a team is no simple matter and it's a tribute to the players that only once did we fall short and only by one player which was easily managed.  2019 was my 13th season of vintage base ball and going back to the very beginning my 63rd season of baseball either as a fan or in some other capacity.  That's a long time, but it pales in comparison to the fact that competitive base ball began in New Jersey in 1855 some 164 years ago.  Those base ball pioneers could never have visualized what has happened since, but I would like to think they would appreciate what the state's vintage base ball teams and players have done to continue what they so nobly began.

October Speaking Schedule

Thursday, October 10, 6:30, Morven Museum and Garden, 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, New Jersey: "History, Tragedy and Comedy: The Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. Admission includes access to the New Jersey baseball exhibit which will close the end of this month.

Thursday, October 17, 7:00, Bernards Township Public Library, 32 South Maple Street, Basking Ridge, New Jersey. "A Cradle of the National Pastime: New Jersey Baseball 1855 to 1880."

A Tale of Two "All-Star" Games

Although they weren't called all-star games, matches between "picked" or "select" nines became popular relatively quickly in the early days of organized base ball.  Especially noteworthy were the so-called Fashion Course games.  Matches played in 1858 at the racetrack of the same name located not far from today's Citi Field where a team made up of players from New York clubs defeated their Brooklyn counterparts in a best of three series.  The games were so popular that a group of Jersey City fans took ferries, horse cars and probably the railroad to witness the third and decisive game.   Needless to say, New Jersey players quickly took up the idea which seems to have reached its peak with two games played three years apart, the first in Philadelphia in May of 1864 and the second in November of 1867 at the Waverly fair grounds between Newark and Elizabeth.  In each case, the New Jersey lineup reflects both the early history of organized base ball in the state and how the game was changing in the Civil War period.

1858 Fashion Course Games

The 1864 game was played as part of the Great Central Fair in Philadelphia between picked teams from New Jersey and Pennsylvania and has been the subject of prior blog posts.  In anticipating the game, the New York Sunday Mercury observed that the contest was "not a real trial of [base ball] strength" between the two states - if it was, the New Jersey team would have been drawn entirely from Newark clubs.  Instead the organizers, who weren't named, opted to choose a broader representation consisting of players from five different teams including two from Newark.  Even so, there was no lack of talent and the New Jersey team prevailed 18-10 in no small part to the pitching of Fred Henry from the Nassau Club of Princeton.   As talented as they doubtless were, however, what also stands out is how the team represented different aspects of the almost ten year old story of organized base ball in New Jersey beginning with the representatives of the two teams from the state's largest city, the Newark and Eureka Clubs.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle - May 26, 1864

While the Newark Club may not have been New Jersey's first base ball team they were without question the first with any real staying power evidenced by the fact that 1864 was their tenth season, no small accomplishment at a time some clubs lasted only a single season.  If the Newark team represented the earliest days of New Jersey base ball, the Eureka Club symbolized the top amateur clubs, combining proficient play with gentlemanly behavior.  No one symbolized this better than left-handed shortstop Charles Thomas whose play was compared to some of the best in the game while at the same time being "ever gentlemanly in word and action."  The aforementioned Henry and another member of the Nassau Club of Princeton University came from one of not just New Jersey's, but also the country's earliest college base ball teams, The collegians were on the scene so early that it wasn't until later that same year that they could find college teams to compete against.

While the Camden Club was probably selected to some degree to help attract local fans, their representatives took a back seat to no one especially Weston Fisler who would go on to star for the Athletic Club of Philadelphia and play in the first National League game in 1876.  More importantly, in this context, however, the Camden Club is part of the story of New Jersey base ball because they are the only known team in the state to have played another bat and ball game, Philadelphia town ball, before converting to the New York game right around the time of the Great Central Fair.  Finally, the Bridgeton Club is historically significant because other than the Camden Club, they are the earliest known base ball club south of Trenton and represent the game's spread throughout the rest of the state in the second half of the 1860's.  Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, there were no African-Americans or women on the team, but otherwise most of the story of early New Jersey base ball can be found in the team's lineup although that was surely not part of the selection criteria.

Charles Thomas - Frank Leslie's Weekly Newspaper - November 3, 1866

Although I'm very familiar with the May 1864 game, that was not the case with the November 6, 1867 game between teams selected from teams from New York City (excluding Brooklyn) and New Jersey.  I had heard of the game, but it was old friend Eric Miklich who pointed out that it was not just any game between "picked" nines because there was filthy lucre involved some $500, no small amount at the time.  The various game accounts differ as to whether it was a winner take all contest or each team received $250.  Either way the very idea of playing for money found plenty of disfavor with the Sunday Mercury which wanted "to see this playing for greenbacks repudiated by clubs belonging to the Association."  By this point, approval by the National Association of Base Ball Players of playing for pay was only about a year away, but old ideas die hard.  Here again, however, the makeup of the New Jersey lineup which came primarily from two teams the Irvington Club and the aforementioned mentioned Eureka is interesting in its own right.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle - November 7, 1867 - the box score erroneously omits the New Jersey team's nine run second inning

The Eureka were the only New Jersey club represented in both games, but there is no comparison between the types of players involved, especially Patsy Dockney of the Eureka.  While professionalism was illegal in 1867, players were clearly being paid and the Eureka in spite of their gentlemanly background dabbed their collective feet in those waters that season.  Dockney had a well deserved reputation for playing baseball all day and then drinking and fighting all night which couldn't have been a worse fit with the Eureka and it's no surprise he lasted only one season with the Newark team.  Also representing the Eureka was Everett Mills who although he was no Dockney was playing his final season with the Newark team before moving on to the Irvington Club as a brief step on his climb up the base ball ladder that would end in the National League when he played for Hartford in the league's inaugural season.

Everett Mills

Back in 1864, the Irvington Club was one of New Jersey's many mid-level teams, but in 1866 and 1867 they wreaked havoc in the base ball world with a line up that was highly proficient, but far from gentlemanly.  Two of the participants in the 1867 game, Charles Sweasy and Andy Jackson Leonard, were playing their last game representing the Irvington team as they were on their way west where in 1869 they would become part of the legendary Cincinnati Red Stockings historic 57-0 season.  Joining them on that team would be a member of the New York "picked" team, Fred Waterman then a member of the Mutual Club of New York.  And yes, the Ebbets on the Manhattan team was a relative of Charles Ebbets. The financial incentives offered for the November game were apparently provided by the managers of the fair grounds in attempt to attract paying customers.  While a "cold, raw wind," did them no favors, the New York Clipper claimed a crowd of 3-4,000 took in the game which in spite of the unfavorable conditions was "by no means tedious."

After the New York team took a 2-0 lead, the Jersey boys tallied nine times in the second, largely due to some shoddy New York defense, but the visitors then regained the lead by scoring eight times in their half of the inning.  The game went back and forth, but three consecutive three run innings by the team from Manhattan were too much to overcome although the New Jersey team never quit finally dropping a 24-23 decision.  This time whoever organized the New Jersey team drew more heavily on the state's best teams - the Eureka and Irvington teams, but with very different kinds of players.  Players much more interested in getting paid for their labors, a far from unreasonable request.  And those who enjoyed some real success in doing so, like Sweasy and Leonard would have to move beyond their home state to do so.  Like almost everything else in base ball, the shift from amateur play to professionalism evolved gradually, but the makeup of the 1867 team especially compared to the 1864 version shows very clearly where the game was headed both in New Jersey and nationwide.

In the Footsteps of "Mule" Haas

Joe "Mick" Murray winning the pre-game bat toss

After a seven-week break between games, probably the longest in team history (the modern version at least), the Neshanock returned to the field on Saturday and not just any field.  It was the Neshanock's annual visit to Cameron Field in South Orange, New Jersey which has seen more than its share of baseball.  Although one Neshanock seemed confused by the requirement to remain on first base after arriving there safely, not too much re-training was required.  Saturday's game marked the fifth time Flemington has come to this Essex County community to take on the home standing Villagers - a local team that comes together for just this one game.  It's hard for such teams to compete successfully against vintage teams that play 20-30 games a year, but the South Orange club always played hard and on one memorable occasion (for them) defeated Flemington.  In the early innings of today's game it looked like another upset might be in the offing.  South Orange took an early 1-0 lead and after Flemington had tallied four times in its first two trips to the striker's line, the Villagers rallied for two runs, cutting the gap to 4-3.  The Neshanock however responded with four tallies of their own and added three more in both the fourth and fifth innings for a commanding 14-4 lead, ultimately prevailing 19-8.

Historic Cameron Field

While the Neshanock did tally 19 times, the offense seemed somewhat spotty at some points.  Leading the way was Chris "Sideshow" Nunn who not only managed three hits, but had Flemington's one clear score of the day.  Joe "Mick" Murray and Danny "Lefty" Gallagher also had three hits apiece and missed a clear score by only one at bat.  The balance of the Flemington attack came from Jeff "Duke" Schneider, Rene "Mango" Marrero, Scott "Snuffy" Hengst, and Matt "Fly" Nunn all of whom contributed two hits. "Duke" recorded the sole Flemington extra base hit of the day with one of his perfectly placed hits down the right field line.  Also of note, or at least so he says, was the play of Ken "Tumbles" Mandel who contributed his third successful hidden ball trick of the season and manfully caught a hard throw from "Mango" at first base.  Bobby "Melky" Ritter and "Snuffy" handled the pitching chores until the ninth when "Duke" came on to close things out.  Mark "Gaslight" Granieri caught most of the contest and also made his first ever appearance in center field while also contributing all of the photographs for this post.

Sam Bernstein calling his last game of nineteenth century base ball

Speaking both for myself, and I know, the rest of the Neshanock, I want recognize the many years of umpiring provided by Sam "It ain't nothing' 'till I say" Bernstein.   After 18 years of distinguished service, Sam called his last game of nineteenth century base ball on Saturday.  Well done sir, it has been a pleasure to have you with us lo these many years.

The always attentive Neshanock bench

The story of Cameron Field's place in baseball history understandably begins with the game that Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth played there on October 27, 1929.  Interestingly, however, another game a week earlier attracted an even larger crowd who watched Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane, Howard Ehmke and George "Mule" Haas, members of the newly crowned world champion Philadelphia Athletics, play in an exhibition game.  What was both surprising and interesting to me was learning that Haas was a New Jersey native, born in nearby Montclair and began his baseball career there.  Haas played in the majors from 1925 to 1938 including being a starting outfielder on Connie Mack's three consecutive American League championship teams beginning with the 1929 squad which had just finished its championship season, knocking off the Cubs in the World Series.  Not only was Haas a member of that team, he also played a key part in the last two games of the Series, one of which was, depending on your point of view, one of the greatest games in the history of the fall classic.

George "Mule" Haas

Philadelphia had won two of the first three games, so the Cubs had their backs to the wall for the fourth game, played at Shibe Park (later Connie Mack Stadium).  It looked like the Cubs had risen to the occasion as they led 8-0 heading to the bottom of the seventh at which point Mack was supposedly going to give his regulars one at bat and then let his reserves play in a World Series game.  Al Simmons led off the inning with a home run and the Athletics kept it going, closing to within four when Haas came to plate with runners on first and third.  The Jersey boy hit a vicious line drive to center field that Hack Wilson misjudged in the sun and when the dust cleared, Haas had a three run inside the park home run and the Athletics were down by only one run.  Philadelphia still wasn't finished, scoring three more times for a 10-8 lead.  Knowing a turning point when he saw one, Mack brought in his ace Lefty Grove who shut down the Cubs and the Athletics had a commanding 3 games to 1 lead.  That story is relatively well known in baseball history circles, I first read about it probably 60 years ago in John Carmichael's My Greatest Day in Baseball.  I was not aware, however, of what happened the next day in the fifth game.

Ken "Tumbles" Mandel who has never once been confused with "Mule" Haas

As understandably down as the Cubs may have been, they shook off the disappointment and led 2-0 heading to the bottom of the ninth when who should come to plate with one on, but Mr. Haas  This time he didn't need the aid of the sun, homering over the right field fence, tying the game and setting for the stage for the Athletics to win the game and the series in the bottom of the tenth.  Quite a few days for the former Jersey player and he must have been on top of the world when he made his appearance in South Orange, a few weeks later.  It was a performance reminiscent of another Athletic player, Frank "Home Run" Baker who hit two dramatic home runs in the 1911 World Series to lead the Philadelphia to a victory over John McGraw's New York Giants.  Perhaps Haas would have earned a nickname for his heroics, if he wasn't already known as "Mule."  It seems a strange nickname for someone brought up in suburban New Jersey, but apparently he acquired it while playing in the minors for Birmingham where a reporter wrote that his "bat packed the kick of a mule."  Regardless of how he got the name, it's nice to see another example of how New Jersey has been and continues to be a cradle for major league baseball talent.

How I Spent My Vacation From Base Ball

How does a vintage base ball team occupy its time during a seven week gap between games?  Ideally, it is an opportunity to catch up on yard work, but in my case there are no shortage of week days for those tasks, leaving a definite void on the weekends.  Some of the time has been devoted to a new non-book research project (more on that in a later post), but there has also been time to finally try to get my New Jersey base ball files in some kind of order.  Since they represent over ten years of research, it is no small task, but in addition to at least having some sense of where things are, the process has also unearthed some interesting things including the below article from the August 4, 1862 edition of the New York Times about a match between the Newark Club and the Union Club of Morrisania.  

I share the entire article for a number of reasons, but primarily because of the form used by the reporter where instead of giving a linear inning-by-inning account, he devotes a lot of space to listing the ten "more noticeable points of the game," a form, I've never encountered before.

Also interesting, at least to me, are the following:

1. The Union and Newark Clubs are referred to as "Provincial" teams.  I have no idea what Morrisania was like in 1862, but since Newark was one of the 12 largest cities in the country, located only a few miles from Manhattan, the "Provincial" label seems a bit much.

2. The length of the game, four hours to play ten innings, anticipating the length of modern games, but long before the practices that make so many of today's games interminable.  A partial explanation was provided by the New York Sunday Mercury which claimed that with the score tied, Newark batters in the tenth "were very fastidious in their choice of a ball to bat" so that the half inning took "nearly a half an hour."  If so, it did the Newarkers little good.

3. The praise for a play by William Lewis of the Newark Club when he "splendidly caught" a ball in the outfield earning a comparison to some of the top players of the day or at least those so viewed by the writer.  Lewis was also praised by the Mercury  which said his "splendid fielding was quite a feature of the game" and that "We never saw fly-balls taken in such style before," five in total.  By 1864, Lewis was being regularly praised by the media for his outfield play, especially eschewing the bound catch even before it was outlawed in 1865.  He would go on to play for the Irvington Club during its hey-day and, perhaps, also for the Elizabeth Resolutes.

4. Newark Club president Henry Dusenbery's reference to the lack of the progress of the Army of the Potomac under the far from effective leadership of its field general, one George McClellan.

5. While extensive post game festivities were still the order of the day in 1862, the references to toasts to the umpire, the "Press," and others unnamed probably makes it a good thing that the only possible post game driving was behind a horse.

6.  The reference to the Union Club's pitching as "bowling," an image which while understandable is one I don't recall seeing very often.  

7. The "manliness" of Terrill of the Newark Club who suffered a dislocated finger, had it snapped back into place and remained in the game, albeit moving to center field from second base.  

Hopefully, at least some of this is of interest to readers of this blog.  But either way, the good news is that the Neshanock return to action on September 14th for their annual visit to historic Cameron Field in South Orange.  

Transitioning

Unless otherwise noted all photos are by Mark Granieri

2019 has been a year of transition for the Flemington Neshanock as Brad "Brooklyn" Shaw, team founder and club president has been taking a less active role.  One characteristic of transitions is the realization of how much work was done, but never spoken about, something I've become very well aware of this season.  It's also a time for to reflect on and honor the past something which began last weekend in Gettysburg when Tom "Schoolboy" Duffy of the Eclipse spoke about how much "Brooklyn's" help had meant in founding their club, something most of us were not aware of.  The tributes continued today in Rahway River Park when Paul Solomone, team captain of the Elizabeth Resolutes talked about Brooklyn's contributions in a heartfelt and moving manner.  Paul is the founder of nineteenth-century base ball in New Jersey and both his words and thoughtfulness were much appreciated.  He also suggested that we must be missing the weekly recitation of "Casey at the Bat," but some Neshanock are not ready to go that far, or at least not yet.

It was great to see longtime Neshanock fan, Blake Zimmer along with his parents and cousins, left to right, Aiden Jasul, Jasmin Jasul, the humble author, and Blake.  Photo by Ben Zimmer 

The two teams then began a game played by 1870 rules which are somewhat different from the 1864 version which Flemington typically uses.  The major and most obvious difference is that fair balls must be caught on a fly, but there are others including the rule that base runners advance on a walk only when forced, something the Neshanock learned or re-learned to its cost.  Having lost the toss, Flemington went to the striker's line first and tallied twice before keeping Elizabeth off the scoreboard in the bottom of the first.  The Neshanock then had a big inning in their half of the second when hits by Matt "Fly" Nunn, Jeff "Duke" Schneider, Joe "Mick" Murray, and Tom "Thumbs" Hoepfner along with a walk by Chris "Low Ball" Lowry led to four Flemington tallies.  Elizabeth got one back in their half of the inning, but after a scoreless third, the Neshanock had another big inning in the fourth tallying five times.  The Resolutes, however, had no intention of going quietly and combined a single and a double to score twice in their half of the inning.

In keeping with recent history, Flemington's offense then basically shut down for the game other than scoring three times in the top of the sixth with the key blow a double by Dan Mahony, the Neshanock's only extra-base hit of the day.  Elizabeth battled back in their half of the inning combining two hits and some Neshanock muffs to tally three times.  The Resolutes staged one more rally in the bottom of the eighth, scoring two times, but it wasn't enough against a relatively solid Neshanock defensive effort and Flemington held on for a 15-8 victory.  While Flemington has won this year's games between the two clubs, the rebuilding Resolutes are rapidly improving and it is only a question of time before Elizabeth will win more than their share of matches in this longstanding, friendly rivalry. 

Photo by Lawrence Major 

Flemington's offense was led by "Mick" and "Thumbs" both of whom had four hits, each of them missing a clear score by only one time at the striker's line.  Three other Neshanock had multiple-hit games, Dan with three and "Fly" and "Duke" with two apiece.  Flemington's defense was led by its pitching tandem of Bobby "Melky" Ritter and Scott "Snuffy" Hengst.  Also noteworthy was "Jersey" Jim Nunn's almost flawless performance at first base - an unfamiliar position for him.  Once Mark "Gaslight" Granieri found the field, he turned in another strong performance at catcher, not only "gunning" down two would-be base stealers, but also making a diving catch of a bound foul to help seal the victory for Flemington.  With the win, the Neshanock are now 14-5 on the season, having played nine of the last ten weekends.  Unfortunately, Flemington doesn't play again until September 14th leaving plenty of time to catch up on yard work and other assorted chores, none of which are remotely enjoyable as playing base ball in any form.

In Spite of the Weather

Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was one of nineteenth-century America's greatest humorists and writers whose work has endured at least partially because of his timeless understanding of human nature.  One very popular saying attributed to Twain is that "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it," although it may be that Charles Dudley Walker, his collaborator on The Gilded Age actually wrote the line.  But no matter who wrote it, it is, of course,  unarguable that no one can change the weather. That doesn't, however, mean nothing can be done about it or, perhaps more appropriately, in spite of it.  Anyone with any doubts on that score should check with the Elkton Eclipse vintage base ball club and the 23 other teams who along with fans, friends, and families gathered in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania this past weekend for the 10th annual National Nineteenth-Century Base Ball Festival where the weather was no small issue.

Always Appropriate Advice at Gettysburg

How hot was it?  Well, it hit 94 degrees on both days, about 12 degrees warmer than the average temperature during the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863.  Fortunately, the Elkton Club provided a structure that enabled the participants, if they chose, to do something about the truly oppressive conditions.  Since the Gettysburg event is a festival and not a tournament, each match is a self-contained unit with the outcome relevant only to the participating clubs.  As a result, in every game, the two teams had the ability to shorten the match to seven innings or whatever length they desired so long as was by mutual agreement.  Having given teams the authority to adjust as necessary, Elkton added the standard cautions about shade and hydration which the Neshanock and, I'm guessing, the other teams took very seriously.  The area behind the Neshanock bench resembled a canopy city with so much water and Gatorade on hand, that even with the excessive heat there was more than a little left for the ride home after Sunday's final game.

Canopy City - Neshanock Style 

Flemington's first game of the festival wasn't scheduled until 1:45 on Saturday, but two Neshanock players, Tom "Thumbs" Hoepfner and Chris "Low Ball" Lowry were already at work.  Each team has to provide the umpire for two games and thanks to both of them for taking on this task, knowing they had two full games to play afterward.  First up for the Neshanock was the Keystone Club of nearby Harrisburg, the only one of the four opponents, Flemington had played previously.  The Pennsylvania team went to the striker's line first and was retired in order before  Flemington got one run in the bottom of the first and then erupted for five more in the second.  Key blows in the big inning were a prodigious triple by Dan "Sledge" Hammer and singles by "Jersey" Jim Nunn and his two sons, Chris "Sideshow" and Matt "Fly" Nunn.  The Neshanock only scored three more times, but it didn't matter because almost flawless Flemington defense kept the Keystones off the scoreboard in a 10-0 Neshanock win.  Dan "Lefty" Gallagher and Rene "Mango" Marrero led the Flemington attack with three hits apiece while "Sledge," Thumbs," "Jersey," and Ken "Tumbles" Mandel had two each.

Fortunately, the game lasted just over an hour so the Neshanock were able to get out of the sun before their second game of the day against the Addison Mountain Stars, another Pennsylvania club, this time from south of Pittsburgh.  The original Addison club was made up primarily of coal miners who played in their work clothes covered with coal dust something the vintage club honors with miner like uniforms, minus the dust.  Striking first this time, Flemington tallied twice in the top of the first and added three more in the fourth for a 5-0 lead, continuing to play stout defense.  At that point, however, Addison handed the Neshanock some of their own medicine, retiring 10 straight batters before Flemington scratched out three more runs in their last two at-bats.  Once again the Neshanock turned in a stellar defensive effort, allowing just one tally for an 8-1 win.  Mark "Gaslight" Granieri, Joe "Mick" Murray, and "Tumbles" each contributed two hits to Flemington's offense while Chris "Low Ball" Lowry earned the day's only clear score, albeit with only one hit.  The Neshanock finished Saturday's play with two wins, but low offensive production limited to early in the game was a disturbing trend.

Addison Mountain Stars 

While there may have been a brief shower in Gettysburg Saturday night, it did nothing for the conditions on the field when the Neshanock took on the Bear Clan of Flint Rock, Michigan in Sunday morning's first game.  The Michigan team had already established their credentials by defeating the host Elkton Club and the Atlantic Club of Brooklyn, two of vintage base ball's best teams.  Flint Rock tallied twice in the top of the first, but Flemington tallied three in times in their turn, setting a pattern for what became a back and forth affair.  Flint Rock tied the game at 8-8 in the top of the fourth and it stayed tied until the sixth when the Michigan club took a one-run lead only to see the Neshanock score twice in their half for a 10-9 lead.  By that point, the game was running up against the time limit and it seemed likely the seventh would be the last inning.  Flint Rock quickly scored twice, but it briefly appeared the Neshanock would hit for the last time, down only one.  The opposition, however, had other ideas and added two insurance runs and then set down Flemington in order for a hard-fought 13-10 win.  Once again Flemington did all of its scoring early, tallying only twice in its last four at-bats.  "Thumbs" had three hits while Dave "Illinois" Harris and "Jersey" added two each.  One defensive note was a fine throw by Gregg "Burner" Wiseburn to cut down a Flint Rock runnier trying to steal second.

Flint Rock and Flemington - picture by Dorren Harris 

Flemington's final opponent of the festival was the Great Black Swamp Frogs of Sylvania, Ohio, reportedly named for the swamp that originally covered much of northwestern Ohio.  By now the Neshanock had established a pattern, at least on offense, that wasn't likely to change and sure enough, Flemington scored five of its eight runs in its first three at-bats.  That might have been enough, but some timely and strategic hitting by the Swamp Frogs aided by some Neshanock defensive lapses enabled the Ohio team to score six times in the third and Flemington never recovered, falling 12-8 and finishing 2-2 for the weekend.  It should be noted that in both Sunday matches, strong defense by both the Flint Rock and Swamp Frogs had a lot to do with the Flemington's offensive woes.  The Neshanock would like to thank our families and friends who endured the extreme, even for Gettysburg, heat and humidity.  In addition, we also want to thank Aristide Economopoulous of New Jersey Advance Media who after photographing and writing about the Neshanock's visit to New Bridge Landing on July 13th, made the trip to Gettysburg to cover both the Neshanock and the New Brunswick Liberty.  On the season, Flemington now stands 13-5 heading into next Saturday's match with the Elizabeth Resolutes at Rahway River Park.

By Sunday the heat was definitely taking a toll

Before heading home on Sunday, I watched the Elkton Eclipse honor one of their own, Tom "Schoolboy" Duffy for his "tireless commitment" to the festival - a well-deserved honor.  Just prior to the Neshanock's first game on Saturday, "Schoolboy" took part in another ceremony, this time as the presenter when the Eclipse gave the Neshanock the plaque pictured at the beginning of the post.  For the past ten years, the Neshanock have spent the third weekend in July in Gettysburg which lends a historical perspective to what the Elkton has accomplished with this event.  Ten years ago, the Maryland club had an idea - bring vintage baseball to one of the country's most historic areas. Initially, it took the form of a six-team tournament, made up primarily of teams from the Middle Atlantic area.  Not satisfied, they successfully developed the original idea into a larger vision of a festival where many teams from across the country could engage in friendly competition to the point that 56 teams from 15 states and the District of Columbia have taken part.  The Neshanock very much appreciated being honored, but in truth, we should be honoring Eclipse Club, its president, Bruce Leith, "Schoolboy" and everyone else from the Elkton club.  I know I speak for all of the Neshanock in saying thank you for creating this event and allowing us to be part of it.  As hot as it was, we are already looking forward to 2020 - huzzah!

Playing (Or Not PLaying) on the Fourth of July

In all the posts about Neshanock games in this blog, I don't think the attendance has ever been mentioned, probably for one of two reasons - either there weren't enough people to count or no one bothered to do so.  As a result, Saturday's games at New Bridge Landing in River Edge, New Jersey are a Flemington first.  According to a reliable source (Carol Zinn), the Bergen County Historical Society's official count was 350, some 50 more than a year ago.  Even if that number is a little off, it was still an excellent crowd which enjoyed two games between the Neshanock and a new local team, the Enterprise Club of New Bridge.  Flemington had somewhat diminished numbers and the local team kindly lent the Neshanock two players - Kyle and Don.  The first of two seven-inning games got underway with the Enterprise Club at the striker's line and they wasted no time in scoring their first two tallies in an inning where Flemington was fortunate to limit the damage.  Nor did the Neshanock do much at the striker's line in their first two attempts and New Bridge led 2-0 going to the bottom of the third.  Flemington finally got its offense untracked in that inning, scoring five times, but the Bergen County team quickly got two back in the top of the fourth, to narrow the deficit to one tally.  

Fortunately for Flemington, they broke things open in their half of the fourth, tallying five times, keyed by a two-out, three-run home run by Kyle playing in his first vintage game.  Leading 10-4 at that point, the Neshanock coasted home to a 20-7 victory.  Kyle and Chris "Low Ball" Lowry led the Flemington attack with three hits apiece, aided by Jeff "Duke" Schneider, Mark "Gaslight" Granieri, Dave "Illinois" Harris, and Brian "Spoons" Lo Pinto with two each.  After a break, the two teams returned to the field and similar to two weeks ago in Delanco, Flemington used an early big inning to take a commanding lead in route to a 21-6 win.  "Duke" and "Gaslight" contributed four hits each to the Neshanock's offense while "Illinois" and Kyle had three apiece, Kyle hitting a second home run.  Among those with two hits were Joe "Mick" Murray, Scott "Snuffy" Hengst, and Don who recorded Flemington's only clear score of the day.  "Illinois" and Bobby "Melky" Ritter divided the pitching responsibilities with "Duke" making his first appearance between the pitching lines to close out the second game.  While the Neshanock won both games, the Enterprise Club acquitted themselves admirably in their first two matches and Flemington hopes to see them on the field again.  Next weekend, Flemington travels to Gettysburg to take part in the 10th annual nineteenth-century,  baseball festival, one of 24 teams playing four games over two days.

A baseball game at Sauk Centre, Minnesota, July 4, 1908

The New Bridge Landing historical site is located in River Edge, a Bergen County community bordering on Hackensack, County Seat of Bergen County and ancestral home of the Zinn family.  In past posts, I've noted that despite its proximity to New York City, baseball didn't really take hold in Bergen County until the post Civil War years.  It appears the first team in Hackensack itself was the Ionic Club which interestingly played its first game on July 4, 1866, a 54-8 loss to the Everett Club of New York City.  Interesting primarily because the game was played on July 4th, our country's national holiday.  Playing (or not playing) on the Fourth of July, caught my attention because this year there were no major league baseball games in New York City on Independence Day, partially because the Yankees were on the road, but primarily because the Mets were not scheduled.  Baseball may no longer be the National Pastime, but not playing on the anniversary of the country's birth still seems more than a little incongruous.

A little research and reflection, although far from exhaustive, suggests that baseball's early connection with July 4th was more driven by economics (read filthy lucre) than identifying the national holiday with the national pastime.  References to baseball as the country's national game date back to before the Civil War, but in 1860, the last year of baseball's first growth spurt, precious little baseball was played on Independence Day, at least in the New York area.  According to the two major sports weeklies, the New York Clipper and the New York Mercury, only five games were scheduled for July 4, 1860, and one of those was an inter-squad game.  Indeed, Marshall Wright's compilation of the records of 21 teams for the 1860 season doesn't show a single game played on the Fourth.   According to a study of baseball's antebellum growth by Bruce Allardice, in 1860, there were 426 teams in Brooklyn (then an independent city) and Manhattan alone less than 2% of which played on Independence Day.  Nor do the numbers increase significantly in 1866, Wright chronicles 58 teams for that season only 12 (21%) of which played on the Fourth.

Things appear to have changed, however, when professional baseball became the order of the day.  In order to survive professional clubs needed paying customers when the potential customer base was significantly limited in the population centers on the East Coast because Sunday baseball was illegal, the one day when most people were off from work.  That made any holiday, especially Decoration Day and Independence Day, the two national holidays, important days to play and try to attract large crowds.  It was primarily for that reason on July 4, 1873 that Harry Wright, manager of the Boston Red Stockings, trying to overcome the Elizabeth Resolutes almost non-existent gate appeal, decided to play the first professional doubleheader (separate admission, of course), hoping thereby to convince those in the city for the holiday to use some of their time and money to see at least one game.

18,000 fans take in the afternoon game of a July 4, 1907, morning/afternoon doubleheader at Washington Park in Brooklyn - Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 5, 1907 

As professional baseball expanded in the 1880s and 1890s, playing at home on holidays became a priority for clubs to the point that league meetings on the schedule became very acrimonious with the 1888 National League schedule meeting lasting until 3:00 a.m. after a 12-hour debate.  Charles Ebbets first made a name for himself in baseball circles by developing schedules that won such quick approval that the 1891 National League version was approved in a mere 20 minutes. The key to Ebbets approach was fairness and he resolved the quarrels over key holidays (known as plums) by what would seem to be the obvious solution of alternating the best dates on an every other year basis.  Another reason the competition for the Fourth and other holidays was so intense was that gate receipts were by far the largest source of club revenue which also drove game times and other factors that impacted fans willingness to plunk their quarters down for a game.  Today, of course, baseball is very different, ticket revenue may be important, but television has far outstripped it.  As a result, national holidays are for the most part, no different than any other day to the point that when necessary, skipping one is really no big deal, at least not to the "powers that be."